Rimming Is the Daniel Day Lewis of Sex Acts

Anilingus, or rimming, was having such a great run in the mid-2010s. It had been thriving in the LGBT community for a while, but then straight people came along in 2015 and helped make her a star,likeyaaas queenor Carly Rae Jepsen. We all loved rimming for a minute, but we haven't heard much about her lately. Is she happy? Is she working? Rimming:where is she now?

Rimming is the act of stimulating someone’s anus with your mouth. There’s quite a concentration of nerves back there, so the stimulation via kissing or tongue use can be equally powerful. Granted, that's not to say that it's the miracle sexual act—a rim job comes with as much risk as any other sexual act. The possible transmission of HPV and multiple strains of hepatitis are coupled with the threat of bacterial issues. For more information, theCDCis always a great place to start. More than anything, cleanliness is the best move. The receiving partner should shower, clean the area (inside and out), andalwaysbe honest about your STD situation because you aren't a monster.

The short version of the Anilingus Wave can be traced back to around 2014, whenComplexlisted 25 times rappers had mentioned eating booty. Everyone from Gucci Mane to Nicki Minaj was eating and/or having their booties eaten. Good for them. Omarion released a bop featuring Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko, featured above, with the infamous line, "Gotta eat the booty like groceries." The video, at the time of this posting, has 646,162,973 views. The hip hop community had exalted anilingus to the mountaintop.

In early 2015,How to Get Away with Murdershowed up to gently remind everyone with a subtle scene that gay men have been homed in on rimming for a while. The Anussaince continued, with publications fromGawkertoCosmopolitanoffering their takes on anal stimulation and its moment in the sun.

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Rimming thrived in the mainstream, with shoutouts still mostly kept to the gay community and hip hop: a strange unification that is typically only mentioned when Eminem says the f-word too many times and has to apologize. In its heyday, it happened: Marnie had anilingus performed on her in a surprising scene from Season Four ofGirls. This, I believe, is when rimming’s descent began.

Soon after Allison Williams' go onGIRLS, Alternet published an article titled, "Ass is the New P*ssy: Why Anilingus Is on the Rise" giving quite the traction to the growing trend. The bubble burst soon after, with a plethora of late 2015 to early 2016 think pieces on everything that should and could bedonewithananus. Like a poorly cooked Hot Pocket, rimming seemed to go from a piping hot trend to an uncelebrated cold mess.

Rimming is a real Daniel Day Lewis of sex acts—if she's not the star, she's not interested. If you search Google within the past year for pieces on rimming, you find mostly links to porn, a couple posts on gay-centered websites, and a strange link to a recap ofAmerican Horror Storythat I decided not to click on. To paraphrase a John Green young adult novel, the trend of anilingus is like falling in love: it happened slowly, and then all at once. The last personal anecdote about rimming was earlier this year via NewNowNext when a manrecountedgetting his third gastrointestinal parasite, so be warned.

All of that is to say that while rimming may have gone out of style for your favorite online publications, anilingus is still here. She's thriving, even if she doesn't brag about it. And she's ready when you are. She has the trophies. She has the acclaim. And she doesn't need to flaunt it: she's just waiting for you.

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If it's something you'd want to dabble in, take it slow. Though not the sexiest of the protective sheaths, a dental dam is a great gateway for someone who's never explored the Wild West of Anilingus. There are a series of lubes that can help with that unexplored territory as well, but most of all, move at your own pace. A combination of kissing, tongue work, and caressing can do wonders for 2015's favorite sex act.

The big point is that if you're taking that leap, be like anilingus: brave, adventurous, and perennially cool.

This story originally appeared on Esquire.com. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.

In the 15 years since The Wire, Elba has starred in blockbusters and art house films, won a Golden Globe, released two albums, founded a production house, received an OBE, launched a clothing label and made his directing debut. He's only just getting started.